Is Bad Tooth Position Associated with Bullying among Schoolchildren?

ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the prevalence of bullying and investigate the association between malocclusion and bullying victimization. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted with students from the public school network in the city of Campina Grande, Brazil. The sample was probabilistic by cluster, resulting in 381 students of both sexes aged 12-15 years. The victim version of the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire was used to assess bullying victimization, the DAI for occlusion, and a socioeconomic questionnaire was directed to parents. Descriptive statistics were used for categorical variables and the Pearson’s Chi-square test was used to identify associations between victimization and independent variables. Variables with p-value <0.20 were included in the Poisson Regression analysis and the measure of association was demonstrated as PR and confidence intervals (95%). Results: The prevalence of malocclusion was 67.7%, with more cases of normal malocclusion/or minor problems (32.3%). Maxillary overjet > 4 mm was the most frequent DAI component, followed by dental crowding and half-cusp molar relationship. The prevalence of bullying victimization was 41.2%, and of these, 42.9% were targets of dental bullying. Associations were identified between bullying victimization and self-perception of poorly positioned teeth (p<0.00l) and dental bullying (p<0.00l). Bullying victimization was higher among adolescents who used public services and among those who were victims of dental bullying. Conclusion: High malocclusion and bullying rates were observed in the school population, both general and dental. High perception of poorly positioned teeth and use of public health services are associated with bullying victimization.